The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
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Critics Consensus: Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth is an earnest, visually resplendent trip, but the film's deliberate pace robs the material of some of its majesty.
Critics Consensus: Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth is an earnest, visually resplendent trip, but the film's deliberate pace robs the material of some of its majesty.
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Movie Info
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo … More- Rating:
- PG-13 (for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence and frightening images)
- Genre:
- Action & Adventure , Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Directed By:
- Peter Jackson
- Written By:
- Peter Jackson , J.R.R. Tolkien , Philippa Boyens , Guillermo del Toro , Fran Walsh
- In Theaters:
- Dec 14, 2012 Wide
- On DVD:
- Mar 19, 2013
- US Box Office:
- $303.0M
Cast
-
Orlando Bloom
as Legolas -
Luke Evans
as Bard the Bowman -
Evangeline Lilly
as Tauriel -
Ian McKellen
as Gandalf -
Martin Freeman (II)
as Bilbo -
Richard Armitage
as Thorin
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LoginCritic Reviews for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
All Critics (270) | Top Critics (48) | Fresh (174) | Rotten (96) | DVD (4)
It frequently seems as though Jackson was less interested in making The Hobbit than in remaking his own fabulously successful Lord of the Rings series.
My first thought in watching The Hobbit was: Do we really need this movie? It was my last thought, too.
To its own narrative detriment, "The Hobbit" works hard to lay the framework for what will follow. Certainly that's one way to set out on a trilogy, but it's surely not the best.
There's no denying the majesty in Peter Jackson's visuals but he's taken a relatively slim children's book and stretched it beyond the limits.
The repeated iterations of fight, flight and respite here get wearing. Especially perhaps because, with Jackson's fetish for detail, they take more time to watch on screen than to read about.
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" has finally arrived, not on wings of gossamer fancy but with a hairy-footed thud.
You may have seen Middle Earth before. But you haven't been IN Middle Earth.Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' has made it possible for you to feel like you're surrounded by the astonishing environment created by J.R.R. Tolkien.
With the first film pushing three hours, purists will be pleased. Less die-hard audiences will find a lot of meandering set-up - albeit visually gorgeous meandering setup.
Remember the joke that The Fellowship of the Ring was just a bunch of people walking around for three hours? In this case, it's actually true.
An occasionally entertaining but empty fantasy epic...
It rambles over hill and dale and mountain and field and forest and marsh and through cavern and catacomb and grotto and pothole...but will please the Tolkien faithful.
While the new scenes don't add much to the great film, the outstanding wealth of special features makes this one of the must-own Blu-rays of 2013.
It's like we returned to Disneyland to find it looking as magical as ever, but with most of the rides closed.
There are worse ways to kill time, sure; it's just that there is, alas, so much time to kill.
"Unexpected Journey" runs nearly three hours. That gives Jackson plenty of time to revive its magic [which he does] by triggering our good will toward the "Rings" trilogy. He evokes the trilogy's tone and its rhythms.
As great as Serkis is, he can't begin to make 'The Hobbit' look anything but short.
The odd thing about the saying "too much of a good thing" is that it acknowledges the fact that, something, in general, is composed of an overabundance of excellence.
The Hobbit may not be as memorable as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but it's a mostly faithful adaptation that sticks to the same tones and themes of the source material.
It's a journey that any fan of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy should enjoy.
Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth feels familiar and unfulfilling.
If Jackson had focused simply on Bilbo's party and their attempts to get a proper homeland for the dwarves, 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' would have been a leaner, more engaging tale.
Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien may like sitting through a 169 minute film, that easily could have been trimmed by at least 50 minutes. But, I was constantly aware of the long running time.
Whenever this movie suffers from lengthy prequel-itis and a weighty sense of expectations, it falls short. Still, for much of its 165 minutes, this epic has enough small moments and deft touches that it tugs you along with the power of a good story.
An Unexpected Journey offers an unparalleled visual spectacle
a drag-down, mildly diverting entertainment
When the dwarves turn up mob-handed, kicking off a night of boisterous revelry, the laboured jests and jollity seem to go on forever. And the combination of dwarves, forced humour and familiar faces off the telly turn the occasion into bad panto.
Audience Reviews for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Turning one book into three films, fiddling with the story and adding new characters is all part of this shameless money-making machine after the success of the original films and will no doubt please the producers of the franchise greatly. To be honest, when it is all done to this high standard, why not? You should always read the book first kids, that is if you're interested, personally I was never a Goblins and Wizards kid, I was more into Dinosaurs and Astronauts so I have never and probably will never read the book. Not because I'm sure it's not good or anything, I just have about 1000 books I want to read first. I liked the film a lot, it's nice to see some new faces along side a few favourites from the LOTR films. I found it a lot easier to watch than I found the first film although it is a bit wishy washy at times. The camera lingers...are they safe...did they make it....yes, they made it, there are 2 more films to go and a ton of money to make, get on with it. I'm not sure the hard-core fans will like it but then they seemed to like Peter Jackson's self-indulgent LOTR trilogy, so I'm going to guess yes. As a non-fan, I thought it was still pretty good. My favorite thing about it has to be Sylvestor McCoy, he was brilliant.
http://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-hobbit-unexpected-journey-dir-peter.html
Super Reviewer
i really enjoyed this film, and i embrace it as a solid entry into this amazing franchise. the story was engaging and it was wonderful to get wrapped back up into middle earth for another 3 hours. however, although we all knew this would be a lighter tone than LOTR as it was written for a younger audience, the film was even more silly and light than it needed to be considering the source material and the earlier films. the hobbit should have a childlike quality, but again, this film was silly to a fault. the effects were also worse than LOTR despite advancements in technology due to peter jackson relying far too much on CGI where he would have used more practical effects in the previous films, and it made a negative impact on my ability to escape into the world of the film. the film is also a bit more aimless. the earlier films were more motivated, with more momentum in each scene, and this film sort of felt like it simply stumbled from moment to moment until the end. overall, fun, and worthwhile, but a missed opportunity for continued greatness.
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Super Reviewer
A thrilling adventure. I liked all the songs and cute (but grubby) Dwarves. Peter Jackson took a little kids' storybook and Rankin-Bass cartoon and made it into an epic. It took itself less seriously than Lord of the Rings - the fate of the world seemed not at stake here. It was like a great D&D adventure. There was a load of backstory and subplots added to the story, which really makes it better overall.
MoreSuper Reviewer
There is so much to love about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," and sometimes that particular fact overshadows what are a few minor problems with the film. It is a simple story, told in a very grand scale, about Dwarfs, accompanied by a Hobbit, who are on a quest to reclaim the Dwarfs homeland. Along the way, he comes across as mysterious ring, and the climax unfolds. This film has a very dark tone to it, with very excessive images, but the things that truly bugs me is the fact that it shifts back and forth from dark to comical too quickly, taking away some of the mood. Still, I highly enjoyed watching this film and the cliffhanger is incredible. I cannot wait for part 2 of this trilogy. It is no match for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but on it's own, it really has something going for it. It was also nice to seem some pretty awesome cameos from familiar faces. Overall, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is 100% worth it!
MoreSuper Reviewer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Quotes
- Gandalf:
- You've been sitting quietly for far too long. Tell me. When did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you? I remember a young hobbit who was always running off in search of Elves in the woods. He'd stay out late, come home after dark, trailing mud and twigs and fireflies. A young hobbit who would've liked nothing better than to find out what was beyond the borders of the Shire. The world is not in your books and maps. It's out there.
- Bilbo Baggins:
- Disintegration?
- Gandalf:
- True courage is knowing not how to take a life, but when to spare it.
- Bilbo Baggins:
- I'm going on an adventure!
- Gandalf:
- I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay.
- Gandalf:
- These are gundabad wargs. They will outrun you!
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